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Place of Tilliefoure
Place of Tilliefoure Home | Castles Index | Gordons of Interest | Lands, Estates, Battlefields 389428_6d14b66b.jpg 389436_ea47d410.jpg 5491556_534e1bae.jpg History Picturesquely situated on the east bank of the River Don, where it winds through the Benachie range in a narrow wooded defile, five miles north-west of Monymusk, the old Place of Tilliefoure is an interesting small fortalice of the 16th century which eventually fell on evil days, sank into neglect, and was drastically restored and added to in 1884. The restoration was ably done, in a copy of the early style, so that at first or even second glance, where original work merges into modern is not always easy to trace. Also there has been much earlier alteration, probably in the first half of the 17th century, and the roof-level has been changed, so that a reconstruction of the original house is made the more difficult. It seems, however, that the first fortalice was a most sturdy, almost squat, house of two storeys and a garret, on a variation of the l-plan, whereby the two wings join in such a way as to produce a re-entrant angle at both sides, in the eastern of which a short stair-turret is corbelled out from first-floor level, supported on a squinch-one of the comparatively few examples of this architectural device in Aberdeenshire, another being at nearby Westhall. A courtyard lies to the south, entered by an arched gateway. The door is in the western re-entrant and over it is a renewed panel bearing the date 1626. It is still protected by a massive draw-bar in it"s deep socket within the thickness of the walling. A porter's apartment adjoins, and there are a number of slit windows. Internally the house has been almost entirely gutted, and no vaulting remains, but the kitchen appears to have been in the west wing basement. The fairly massive chimney-stack at the western gable may represent an early addition, where a somewhat narrower extension has been built on to this wing. this extension is said to have contained a draw-wall, now filled in. Originally Tilliefoure belonged to the Earldom of Mar, as part of the Lordship of Garioch, and the place was used as a hunting seat. By an Assize of Error the lands were forfeited to the Crown in the 15th century, and bestowed by James IV on sire John Leslie of Wardhouse, of the Balquhain family, in 1508, with the office of Bailie of the Crown lands in the Garioch. It seems probable that this laird built the oldest part of the present house although there must have been earlier work on this site. He was married five times and died in 1546. His grandson, Sir John, was created a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1628. He married Elizabeth Gordon of Newton. and allegedly by her infidelities and his own extravagance and dissipation, lost much of his lands. There may have been malice in this theory, however for we read that they were 'contumacious Papist' and that in 1638 the Bishop of Aberdeen was excommunicated by the Assembly, amongst the crimes imputed to him being that 'at the request of Elizabeth Gordon, Lady Wardhouse, ane infamous woman, he consecrated a chapell at Tilliefoure after a superstitious forme and manner.' Sir John died in 1640 and 'was buriet within his awen chapell at Tullifour quhair never laird of Wardes was buriet befoire'. The chapel stood in a corner of the courtyard. His widow was married to Sir Alexander Gordon of Cluny within six months of his death, and the lands passed from the Leslies to the Gordons. Links Home | Castles Index | Gordons of Interest | Lands, Estates, Battlefields Category:Castle List